Noel Popoli

In less than 18 months, the Women in Turf movement has profoundly impacted a lot of people, but perhaps no one more than Noel Popoli. Popoli has been an assistant superintendent at The Olympic Club in San Francisco since July 2022. She first visited the club for the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open as part of a corps of 30 female volunteers. At the time, she was the senior assistant superintendent at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York. Appearing on the Wonderful Women of Golf podcast, she told host Rick Woelfel that the experience was life-changing.

“I had worked with a woman horticulturalist before,” Popoli recalls, “but never in turf. I went out to the 2021 Women’s Open and it was such a great experience. Not only meeting the women and connecting and seeing other people doing the same thing that we do, but the tournament itself was awesome, the course was obviously beautiful and it was great all around.”

Once she returned, Popoli started California dreamin’. Buoyed by her experiences at the Women’s Open, Popoli, a University of Connecticut graduate — she earned a bachelor’s in turfgrass and soil science — renewed her commitment to a career in turf.

She reached out to Troy Flanagan, The Olympic Club’s director of golf maintenance.

“I called Troy and told him, ‘I loved my time out there and I would love to send you my résumé,’” Popoli says, “and it kind of went from there. Luckily, I must have done something right that week.”

Even by the standards of her profession, Popoli’s duties are varied. Officially, she is an assistant on the Ocean and Cliffs courses under superintendent Jared Kief.

But a renovation of the Lake Course, The Olympic Club’s “Open Venue” is ongoing and Flanagan and Kief want everyone on the staff participating in the effort, which began last November.

“They want us all involved in every aspect,” Popoli says. “They made sure to tell us from day one, ‘Even if you’re working on the Ocean or working on the Cliffs, every day I want to see you on the Lake doing something. Being part of it, learning, growing, asking questions, jumping on equipment.’”

With the renovation in progress, every day that Popoli spends at her “office” is unique.

“Everybody’s been helping out on the Lake renovation, so we just jump back and forth,” she says. “We’ll get our crew going on the Ocean, checking mowers, making sure the bunker rakes are (in the right places). Obviously, as the Lake has been closing, the Ocean has been getting a lot more golf and we want to make sure all our members are happy over there.

“And then we’ll step over to the Lake and see if they need help stripping sod and moving it, if they need help watering sod. We’re doing all the sanding and the grading for the greens. (Every day) is different and that’s why I love it.”

Popoli says the renovation was a significant factor in the decision she and her wife made to head West.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of a big project,” she says. “Gil Hanse is one of the best architects there is. To be able to watch him work his magic is incredible.”

Popoli spent eight years in the turf industry before assuming her position at The Olympic Club. She appreciates the fact that Flanagan, Kief and other superintendents she has worked with have provided her with opportunities to grow and learn.

“The only way you’re going to learn is by doing, right?” she says. “Especially in this industry. You have to get your hands dirty and you have to do it. And I’ve been fortunate to have some first assistants and superintendents, whatever their titles might be, who were willing to give me the chance.”